That is not Skylar but it may just be Stephen’s grandma…
[Video]
[5.14]
Julian Axelrod: As a white (ex-)rapper who was obsessed with The Heist in high school, I’m not entirely immune to Macklemore’s charms. I admire his outsize ambitions and his attempts to tackle heavy subjects like addiction and white privilege. But the former often gets in the way of the latter: When every song you write is a Grand Statement, it dilutes the effect. “Glorious” feels especially Macklemore-by-numbers. I had hoped his amicable split with Ryan Lewis would help switch up his formula, but this is yet another gospel-inflected success story with a four-on-the-floor crescendo. And even that goes nowhere, as Skylar Grey’s awkward hook kills the momentum. Macklemore gets off some charming lines, but mostly comes up with platitudes. (I know this came out in June, but after Charlottesville the line “Got 20,000 deep off in the street like we some warriors” feels downright scary coming from a white rapper with a neo-Nazi haircut.) Sometimes the best way to write an anthem is not trying to write an anthem.
[5]
Ryo Miyauchi: Macklemore goes solo, but Ryan Lewis’ presence certainly remains. I hear it in the bounce in anticipation for the chorus, though given the producer’s recent role as moral support for others, the story of redemption might have his stamp as well. As for the raps, when rappers stare down their own mortality, I find it more resonant when they see the hour glass as half empty.
[5]
Stephen Eisermann: A feel-good track that feels quite good. The piano, the hand-claps, and Macklemore’s always inspirational lyrics (for better or worse) work well here to provide a song that manages to be catchy and uplifting, without laying too much cheesiness on the top. This is probably a solid 6 on its own, but after watching the video, having the accompanying happy cry, and calling my grandmother, I am convinced this is now an
[8]
Thomas Inskeep: It’s Macklemore, so I was more than ready and willing to hate this. But y’know what? It’s actually a cute little uptempo pop song that sounds great on the radio in the sunshine. He’s still not a particularly good rapper — he never will be — but the gospel choir works, as do the high (140) bpm.
[6]
Nortey Dowuona: Solid raps, driven piano and drums, bouncy and surprisingly Chancey chorus.
[6]
Alfred Soto: “I’m back like I never left,” he avers, as if we noticed. Or: Skylar Grey and Macklemore are Sheena Easton and Rockwell shooting for a hit in 1988. I would have been suspicious of gospel piano and chorus in 1988 too.
[2]
Will Adams: It is like he never went away. He’s still being lauded for bare minimum efforts like slightly altering a fascist-approved haircut and providing bland uplift via vacuum-packed gospel references. Any momentum Mack generates, Skylar Grey kills; she’s already a poor substitute for Ray Dalton, but the half-time hook didn’t help any.
[4]